More than Sweet Words

“What do you think you’re doing?” Belinda’s shrill voice cut over Donnan. Clenching his teeth, he bit back his irritation and turned toward the woman. She rushed him, flapping her skirts. “Don’t you know sweet words work better than fierce?” She placed herself between Donnan and his latest charge.

Raising his hands, Donnan stepped back. “Oh, I’m certain you know better than me.” He let irony drip from his words. He’d trained twenty years in this. And she’d what? A trite saying? He opened his mouth, ready to banish her delusion. And stopped.

Scratching behind his ear, Donna appraised her determination and shrugged. “Well, if you’d like to demonstrate, be my guest.”

Belinda sniffed with sharp superiority. “It would be my pleasure.” Spinning, Belinda faced his charge: a small, white colt with a snub of a horn. He peered at Belinda, twisting his head sideways and watching her.

“Here, young one,” Belinda crooned. “I’ve some sugar cubes for you.”

Donnan almost regretted letting Belinda have her way. He almost stopped her, but even with his decades of experience, he was not fast enough for the reflexes of a fledgling unicorn.

The creature darted forward, sucking the sugar cubes with the click-clack of its teeth closing around Belinda’s hand.

Belinda screeched. The air split with the wail of a banshee. Only no banshees and no deaths were forthcoming. Instead, the colt, terrified, yanked its head back. Jumping onto his hind legs, he struck Belinda and sent her flying. The colt then proceeded to buck about the pen in a frenzy.

Donnan rushed retreated to where it had flung Belinda near the muck pit. He knelt beside her. She sat up, flinging gunk from her hands.

“How’d the sweet words work out?” he asked.

Belinda narrowed her eyes, glaring at him and sliding further into the pit. Donnan grabbed her smock and hauled her out.

He turned toward the colt. “Settle now!” He bellowed in a voice to make a dragon jealous.

Landing in a plopping freeze, the colt turned to peer at him and waited.

Donnan snorted. Sweet words didn’t work with baby unicorns. All sweetness did was ramp them up. They needed a firm hand to learn calm. Donnan glanced at Belinda. And she’d needed a lesson as well.